1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for synthesizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and more particularly, to an apparatus for synthesizing CNTs, in which a fluid vertical reaction chamber includes dispersion plates that partition the vertical reaction chamber into a plurality of sections, in which a mixer causes a catalyst to free-fall through a catalyst-dropping hole of each of the dispersion plates, and in which CNTs are continuously synthesized by using the free-falling catalyst.
2. Description of the Related Art
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or carbon nano fibers are cylinders of carbon atoms, each being bonded to three adjacent carbon atoms to form a hexagonal ring. The hexagonal ring is repeated in a honeycomb pattern to form a graphite sheet which is rolled into a cylinder. Here, the diameter of the cylinder is a few nanometers to several hundred nanometers, and the length of the cylinder is several ten to thousand times the diameter of the cylinder.
When CNTs or carbon nano fibers have an armchair structure, they exhibit conducting properties. When CNTs or carbon nano fibers have a zigzag structure, they exhibit semiconducting properties. Besides being conducting or semiconducting, CNTs or carbon nano fibers have superior electrical properties and high mechanical strength and are chemically stable. These properties make them promising candidates for various applications of information technology.
Conventional methods of synthesizing CNTs or carbon nano fibers include arc discharge, laser ablation, vapor phase growth, thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD). In vapor phase growth, in particular, a substrate is not used, and a carbon source gas is pyrolyzed within a reaction chamber to synthesize CNTs in a vapor phase. This synthesis method is useful for mass production of CNTs.